1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a computer device and a method for controlling supply of power, more particularly to a computer device having a power switch mechanism for an Internet protocol camera and a method for controlling supply of power to an Internet protocol camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional notebook computer is usually equipped with an Internet protocol (IP) camera, which enables a user to transmit images to others conveniently. Consequently, the IP camera is now commonly used as a tool for videoconferencing and image sharing.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional computer device 9 has an IP camera 8, a central processor 90, a basic input/output system (BIOS) module 91, a power-supplying device 92, a peripheral controller 93, and a USB transmission interface 94. Image signals captured by the IP camera 8 are transmitted through the USB transmission interface 94 to the peripheral controller 93 for subsequent provision to an application. The IP camera 8 is supplied with power (Vcc) from the power-supplying device 92 through the USB transmission interface 94.
A disadvantage of the afore-described manner for supplying power to the IP camera 8 resides in that the user can easily forget to turn off the IP camera 8 after use, and consequently, in the event that the computer device 9 is hacked, the IP camera 8 remains vulnerable to hijacking and misuse. Moreover, the user is often unaware that the IP camera 8 has been hijacked, such as when a Trojan horse program for obtaining control of the IP camera 8 is loaded by an operating system or another program residing in the computer device 9 and enables the hacker to take control of the IP camera 8 subsequent to rebooting the computer device 9. The user can then unwittingly become involved in illegal recording and transmission of images. There is thus a need to improve user control over a power supply status of the IP camera 8 so as to prevent hijacking of the IP camera 8.